The Use of Mental, Written and Calculator Strategies of Numerical Computation by Upper Primary Pupils within a ‘Calculator‐aware’ Number Curriculum

Abstract

Abstract The study reported in this article examines the use of mental, written and calculator strategies of numerical computation by 56 upper primary (Year 6) pupils, forming a sample structured by number‐concept attainment, sex, attitude to calculator use, and curricular experience. Pupils were drawn from neighbouring schools with very different traditions in the teaching of number. The ‘calculator‐aware’ approach employed in one group of schools encouraged pupils, from an early age, to develop informal methods of calculation, and to use calculators to explore number and execute demanding computations. Such pupils were found to make greater use of mental computation, particularly of multiplication strategies based on distribution and compensation. These aspects of performance were found to be more strongly associated with curricular experience than with number‐concept attainment. Findings and observations from the study raise important questions about the model of numerate thinking and learning underpinning current policy and practice in Britain.

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